The Metahuman Census
by S. Pendragon
Summary: What happens when metahumans are forced to talk about their abilities? Paranoia spreads. Chaos mounts. This, although with Earth-1 characters, is the story of the dark and dangerous feeling of Earth-2. Set directly after King Shark, may incorporate future episodes in a close to canon AU. Rated T for violence and adult themes. RATING MAY CHANGE.
1. Prologue

You wouldn't think a few pieces of paper could cause so much chaos.

The government had decided to visit Central City after King Shark was lost by ARGUS. Geomancer's attack, a definitely red flag for taking down multiple buildings, was already a reason- ignoring the other weird things that had happened, such as the black hole that had opened over the city previously and the mere existence of the Flash. Most metahuman villains, however, seemed to be solely after the Flash- and as long as the Flash kept civilians out of the way, which he usually did, the government kept their noses out of it. They had other problems, after all, with the apparent rise of superheroes throughout the entire country.

Seriously, where were these people coming from?

But King Shark's ripping the roof off of a civilian home and apparently eating multiple tailors after their failure to make pants to suit his needs seemed to have toppled the scales.

The feds poured in, and suddenly a few hotels were very happy with their newly earned money. And there was one topic of discussion among these government goons, one whispered about in hallways when they thought no one was listening.

The metahuman census.

At first it was just a rumor, a highly official government secret that of course spread like wildfire as soon as social media caught wind. A census that required metahumans to list themselves as metahumans and detail their abilities, then submit to questioning. Questions arose- would it be confidential? What about children? Would they be subjected to experiments? What if a metahuman didn't want to talk about his abilities? What if someone didn't even know they were metahuman?

STAR Labs had released Earth-2 Wells' metahuman detection app as an actual app, but it didn't always work- everyone knew that. There were always inaccuracies or unusual tendencies in the human body, and that was what the app picked up on. So few people expected it when the census actually happened.

Overnight, posters that would cause gossip, protests and one very memorable riot went up throughout Central City. The headline for Picture News was boring- "Documentation of Metahumans." The whole article was government-issued.

Every deli, pharmacy and newspaper stand sold out early in the morning. The Picture News webpage got three thousand views in under an hour, and all for people to read this article.

* * *

 _Documentation of Metahumans_

 _After the arrival of the man known as "The Flash," multiple people with unusual abilities have surfaced. These people are known as "metahumans," and most have shown themselves to be unfriendly._

 _If you or any of your family members above the age of 16 are what is known as a metahuman, you must call the number listed below and report it. You will be asked to detail your or your family members' abilities in full. If considered a potentially dangerous ability, you will be asked to give your name, home address, and phone number and submit to questioning._

 _This survey is mandatory for everyone above 16 years of age. Children are encouraged, but not required, to speak about their abilities. If found dishonest, metahumans will be detained and subject to questioning. To report metahuman activity, please use the S.T.A.R. Labs metahuman reporting app or call the hotline listed below. Please note that the listed hotline is not for emergencies- if confronted by a dangerous or hostile metahuman, please call 911._

 _The information gained from this survey will be placed in a federally-protected metahuman file and kept fully confidential except in the case of emergency. This survey is to protect all citizens of Central City from possible metahuman threat._

 _In addition, all official workplaces involved in law enforcement will be swept with a metahuman alert system. This is to ensure the safety and lack of corruption amongst our officers._

 _We thank you for your cooperation._

 _\- United States Bureau of Citizen Health & Safety_

* * *

Not everyone seemed to be able to cooperate.

High schools buzzed- they'd find out who among them was really a metahuman now. Reckless children dared each other to tell the feds they had powers, truth or not. And in law enforcement offices- such as CCPD- police officers eyed each other warily.

Who was on their side?


	2. Thank Goodness for Iris West

Hey!  
This is an early fic attempt; I'm hoping my writing will get better as I go on. Bear with me, the characters might not stay exactly in-character occasionally.  
In addition, any medical advice from Doctor Snow is probably very wrong. I don't know anything about the medical profession, I can only use the internet and make educated guesses.  
Thank you for reading, please review and let me know what you think!

* * *

Thank goodness for Iris West.

As soon as the government came into the press office and demanded that this article be released on the front page, and as soon as Iris knew what it was about, she slipped into the bathroom with a muttered excuse and called Barry.

He came into the office as soon as the feds were gone.

Iris pulled him outside and got into her car. Barry got into the car as well, although he smirked, looking at the steering wheel. "I haven't used one of these in months."

Iris hit him. Barry pulled back his arm. "Ouch?"

"Barry!" She hissed; this was serious. "They're pulling a Hitler."

Barry's smile dropped immediately; his body tensed and he looked worried. "What do you mean? They're killing everyone?"

"No- they're making people rat. You know, like kids had to do to their parents if they were harboring Jews? If you know a metahuman or you _are_ a metahuman, you have to tell them. They're making it mandatory for anyone over 16 to fill out a survey. And, Barry, they're going to test everyone at CCPD."

Barry's eyebrows furrowed. "Test? What do you mean, test?"

"I mean, they're going to use a metahuman alert app and point it at everyone in the station! Barry, you're going to be-"

She was at S.T.A.R. Labs before she could finish the sentence.

Barry set her down and looked at Caitlin, who had turned around expectantly. Cisco, having heard the familiar whoosh and rustle of papers, had peeked out of his workroom curiously. He emerged fully when he saw Iris.

The look on Barry's face was quickly reflected on Caitlin's. "Barry, what's wrong?"

Barry nudged Iris. "Tell them what you told me."

Iris shook her head. "We have a problem. They're instituting some sort of metahuman census- and it's mandatory. If you're a metahuman or you know someone who's a metahuman, you have to tell them. If you're caught lying, you get arrested. And, Barry, they're sweeping law enforcement with the metahuman detection app that STAR Labs made!"

Cisco coughed. "You mean my totally awesome metahuman app that I may or may not have stolen from Harry?"

Iris nodded. "Yeah, that one."

Cisco laughed. "Don't worry, sister, I put an extra little piece of code in there- for Barry and Barry only, when it detects his metahuman genetic adaptation, it'll also see his bioschematics. It sees everyone's, actually. But it'll recognize his, and he'll show up as a regular human."

Iris shook her head. "I know, Barry told me. But I overheard my boss talking to the feds- they'll be using an adapted version of your app, without any extra code. I think that means that whatever failsafe you put in for Barry, it won't be there."

Cisco had started choking when she said the word "adapted." Barry speed-pounded him on the back and helped him up. Caitlin gave them both a reproachful look.

"They changed my tech?" Cisco was wheezing, but the incredulity in his voice was obvious. "Who does that?"

"The government," said Caitlin dryly.

After a moment of silence, in which everyone watched Cisco try not to choke to death, Caitlin spoke up. "Does that mean Cisco will have to talk about his powers, too?"

Iris' eyes turned to Cisco. "I guess so. Are you going to lie about it? You work often enough with the police station that I bet they'll sweep you, too."

Cisco coughed, stood up, then promptly collapsed and started heaving. "Dude, I think my lollipop fell into my lung," he wheezed. "Can we not talk about my freaky powers while I'm dying?"

Caitlin stood and helped Cisco walk feebly out of the cortex. "Come on, let's get you to the X-ray room."

"I don't need an X-ray, I can feel the lollipop in my lung."

"I doubt it, it's probably stuck in your windpipe."

"Whatever you say, Doctor Disco."

Their arguing continued as they went down the hall. Barry could have sworn he heard a faint "Ow!" as Caitlin hit Cisco.

Iris turned back to Barry. "So anyway, what are you going to do?"

Barry shrugged. "I'll say I'm a meta, I guess."

"But you can't tell them you're the Flash, so what are you going to tell them your powers are?"

Barry looked troubled for a second, and then his face lit up. "What if I tell them I don't know? Like I'd known for a while that I was a meta, but I'd never shown any signs of any superpowers?"

Iris blinked. "Why would they believe that?"

Barry shrugged. "Joe will vouch for me. And besides, it's not like I ever got into any weird situations except for the coma, in which I slept for nine months. I could even brush it off as one of my 'always late' situations- maybe my superpower is sleeping in." He laughed. "I think even Captain Singh would vouch for that."

Iris laughed. "He wouldn't be the only one."

"Hey!" Barry looked hurt, and Iris laughed harder. "Don't tell me it isn't true."

"Well-" He was cut short by the sound of footsteps and loud arguing coming up the hall. Cisco and Harry, apparently, were arguing about whether the metahuman detection app should be credited to Cisco or Harry.

"I developed the technology, and without your help, Ramon. It belongs to me."

"Yeah, but I got it off a watch and turned it into a piece of code. Now anyone's phone can light up if they have the app. That code is mine, man, and you know it. And anyway, you're dead on this Earth; it's not like anyone's going to care."

"That's besides the point."

Cisco started coughing again. Harry turned around and walked away, while Caitlin gave him a disgusted look and helped him back into the medical room.

A worried-looking Detective West came into the cortex. "Did you see-" He cut off when he saw Iris. "You heard?"

"Dad, I work in the newspaper."

"Right." Joe turned to Barry. "What are you going to do?"

He shrugged. "I'll tell them I don't know what my power is, or if I even have one. Everyone knows my superpower is super-lateness, so I make a joke out of that and the feds go away."

Joe laughed. "Even Singh would agree with that."

Barry nodded. "That's what I said."

Iris settled down into a chair, looking troubled. Joe and Barry turned to look at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, it's just- Barry, you're not exactly the best liar."

Barry opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by the return of Cisco and Caitlin. Cisco was no longer wheezing, but they were still arguing.

"I'm a doctor, Cisco, I know what food poisoning is-"

"I'm _not_ allergic to my lollipops!"

"Well, it's not food poisoning and you know it!"

"I've had thousands of lollipops, how come this one messed me up?"

"It's your sugar regimen. You eat way too much sugar and it's messing you up."

"Barry eats a ton of sugar and you don't get on his case!"

"Barry's the _Flash_!"

They both suddenly seemed to realize the person they'd been talking about was in the room. Barry raised an eyebrow and smirked. Caitlin flushed, flustered. Cisco suddenly became very interested in a wireless mouse.

Joe cleared his throat. "Cisco, you're a metahuman too. You visit the department often enough that the feds'll be interested. What are you going to tell them?"

"What?" Cisco looked up, confused. "Oh. Uh, I don't know. The truth, I guess."

Caitlin looked at him, then at Barry, then at the ceiling, exasperation obvious in her expression. "Cisco, you can't tell them the truth."

"Why not?" He stopped fiddling with the mouse.

"Because they'll want to use you. Cisco, if you tell the feds you can see the future, they'll want you to use it to see future attacks or lottery winners or whatever. And then they'll want to stop those attacks, or win the lottery for themselves- and the last time we messed with time and you and seeing the future, it did not end well. You remember being a _ghost_ , right?" Her voice was sarcastic, but a smile tugged at her lips. Her concern for Cisco was genuine.

Cisco shuddered, obviously remembering. "So what do I tell them?"

Caitlin shrugged. "Tell them you're good at figuring things out, that since the particle accelerator exploded you've gotten better at building tech, that it's just easier to understand. We know that's true."

Cisco frowned. "Hey!"

She sighed. "You know what I mean. And people at the department will back you up-they've used your tech, they know you're good at this."

Joe nodded. "Everyone's commented on how useful the Boot is."

"What if the feds want me to build for them? Like...weapons?"

Caitlin straightened up. "Then you tell them you work for STAR Labs and the _future of this city_. Nothing else. You built a cold gun once and Barry almost died, or don't you remember?" Her voice was stern.

Barry turned away uncomfortably. Cisco looked at the ground and muttered something about an "Evil Barry." Iris heard this and glared.

Then, thankfully, an alert about a convenience store mugging came in over Joe's police radio, Cisco took his seat at the cortex desk, and Barry flashed away.


	3. Open Office

"This is a waste of time," the officer in front of Barry muttered crankily. "I'm no metahuman."

Barry shifted uncomfortably. He'd practiced his lie with Joe and Iris for hours the day before, until even Joe agreed that he was convincing enough.

"Remember, Barry," he'd said, "try not to talk unless they ask for it, don't fidget, and just be yourself."

Barry had nodded and tried again.

Now that the moment was actually here, however, Barry was uneasy. But he hid his nervousness, assumed a bored expression, and continued to read his book.

"Next!" A clipped woman's voice rang out. Barry glanced up- it was his turn. The woman looked at him expectantly. "Name and position?"

"Oh- sorry," he said. "Barr- I mean, Bartholomew Allen. CSI."

She nodded, scribbling on a clipboard. "Step through the detector, please."

He shrugged and stepped forward, not knowing what to expect.

The machine flashed a small red light, and a high-pitched whine could be heard. Every officer in the station turned to look at him- some with surprise, some with amusement...but what was that on Officer Greyling's face? Confusion? Apprehension?

Fear?

"Mr. Allen, please come with me," said the woman, pulling him out of line. "We're going to ask you a few questions."

Barry nodded. "Sure."

He followed her into an empty office, standing uncomfortably against the wall. She sat in front of the window and gestured for Barry to have a seat. He did so, fidgeting in the uncomfortable chair.

"Mr. Allen, you are a metahuman." It wasn't a question, just a blunt statement of fact. "What is your ability?"

Barry swallowed. "Well- see, that's the problem. I don't really have one."

The woman stared, then leaned forward. "What?"

"I don't have an ability," he mumbled. Then he coughed and looked up. "I mean, I was affected by the particle accelerator explosion- I got struck by lightning and fell into a coma- but I haven't shown any signs of powers. Which kind of sucks." He shrugged, then looked up, pretending to suddenly remember something. "I have been falling asleep a lot more easily recently, though. Maybe that's my superpower." He laughed weakly. "Doesn't help my reputation for being late, though."

The woman sat back, scanning him suspiciously. He kept his expression casual and open.

She huffed. "You may go."

He nodded and stood, turning towards the door.

"Oh- and, Mr. Allen?"

He turned around, apprehensive. "Yes?"

"Tie your shoe."

Reaching down, he quickly tied it, then backed out of the office hastily.

Returning to his lab, he passed by multiple officers- and was unsettled by how many heads turned. He picked up his pace, uneasy.

Joe was waiting for him in the lab.

"So?" He gestured to Barry's chair, he himself leaning on the desk. "How'd it go?"

Barry sighed and threw himself into his chair, his hands massaging his temples.

"Stressfully."

Joe raised a brow.

He sighed. "I don't know. She asked me what my abilities were, I told her I didn't have any, that I'd been affected by the particle accelerator explosion but I'd never shown any signs of abilities. Except sleeping." He laughed. "I've needed a lot more sleep than usual lately."

Joe laughed. "That's true."

"What's true?"

They both turned abruptly to look at Captain Singh, who had just entered the lab. Barry stood. "Inside joke, sir. Uh- what can I do for you?"

Singh turned around and shut the doors. Joe straightened- "Maybe I should go."

The police captain held up his hand. "No, Joe, I think you should stay."

Silent, Joe sat back down on the desk.

Singh turned to Barry. "So, Allen, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Barry shook his head. "No, sir?"

"Really?" The captain's eyes narrowed. "Hm. Well, then when were you planning on telling me you were metahuman?"

"Uh..."

"Or how about how you're suddenly good at lying to people?"

Barry twitched. "What?"

"I'm not an idiot, Mr. Allen. I can tell when someone's lying- and you were most definitely lying to that scientist in that office. Struck by lightning, and you don't have any powers besides your spectacular lateness? That was already there."

Barry was silent. Joe cleared his throat. "Captain, what are you trying to say?" His voice was suddenly emotionless, and his words were curt.

Singh looked at Barry, then at Joe, then sighed and shook his head. "You misunderstand me, Joe- I don't care whether Allen has magical powers or not. But you both should know that my office is always open to anyone who needs to talk."

Joe visibly relaxed, but Barry was motionless. There was something in the captain's eye that said he'd guessed a lot more than he was telling, but for some reason, Barry didn't think he'd pry.

Eliciting no response, Singh turned around. "In the meantime, I'll support whatever decisions you make, Allen. And as for that super-lateness story...be careful."

He walked out of the room, closing the doors behind him.

Joe turned to look at Barry. "He knows more than he's telling."

Barry nodded. "But somehow, I don't think he cares."

* * *

 _Thanks for all the great reviews! They really inspire me to keep going.  
Speaking of, let me know- where do you think the story's going so far?  
\- S. Pendragon_


	4. Hello, Skeets

"Something's up," declared Cisco after Barry raced into the cortex, sending Caitlin's empty coffee cup flying. Barry gave her an apologetic look, picked it up, then turned to Cisco.

"There's metahumans everywhere, apparently- I hacked the FBI's mainframe and this census is all over it." Felicity had more than assisted him in this, in fact, but Cisco wasn't going to tell them that. "They're not just documenting metahumans, either- they're analyzing their powers, trying to find uses...some of them are actually really cool, like there's this one guy in Keystone that can walk up the side of walls and they're thinking he'd be useful for fixing skyscrapers without a crane. Barry, you're there too- I mean, Flash you, they haven't figured out you're you yet, you you is just documented as 'unknown,' but they came up with some interesting ideas. Do you think you could go faster if we made you a bike? Although it would probably melt-"

" _Cisco,_ " Caitlin interrupted, impatient.

"Right, sorry. So anyway, these cool ideas- they're not all cool. They're collecting data on how to kill metas, or... _mfwehs_." He finished his sentence in a mumble.

Barry leaned closer. "What?"

Cisco fidgeted uncomfortably. "Making them into weapons. Barry, the things I saw on the Flash file alone...they're why I made a cold gun."

Barry nodded, though his frown deepened.

Cisco cleared his throat. "Anyway, the fact that they haven't figured out you're you yet is good- but Barry, if no one shows up as a speedster, they're going to want to find out who is. And since you're the only speedster left- I mean-" He faltered, glancing at Caitlin guiltily. Caitlin shook her head, her expression hard, and motioned for him to continue.

"...The only speedster left on this Earth- that we know about, anyway- is you, Barry. So you're going to have to be careful. You can't leave any evidence of who you are, or..." He trailed off, looking at Barry.

"Or my life's going to get even more complicated," Barry sighed heavily. "Alright. So what precautions are we taking?"

Cisco grinned. "Hello, my name's Cisco, paranoid superhero hacker." Barry stifled a laugh. Caitlin, irritated, gave them both a heavy glare.

Cisco shifted uncomfortably. "Right. So, I hacked into the federal database and the police records and I deleted your DNA code awhile ago, so they don't have it in case you leave blood on a scene or something. But you should still be careful about leaving blood, so I came up with something."

He rummaged around in a desk drawer, withdrawing a metallic object about the size of a ping-pong ball triumphantly. "Ta-da!"

Barry blinked. "Cisco, what is that?"

Cisco grinned. "Watch."

He pressed a button- and suddenly the object sprouted small mechanical wings and began to buzz. A small compartment opened up, and Caitlin raised her eyebrows as a voice emitted from the object- " _Hello, Cisco._ "

Barry jumped, and his eyes widened. "Cisco, I reiterate- what the hell is that?"

Cisco frowned and turned around. "I was going through the Time Vault, trying to figure out how the Reverse-Flash got his suit into that _stupid_ ring, and I started messing around with Gideon's operating system- she wasn't there, but the tech still was, and I took it apart and stuck a chip from a STAR Labs computer in there and this happened. Well, it didn't fly; I I took apart some of Bug-Eyed Bandit's bees and gave him wings. I call him Skeets."

" _I am Skeets,_ " the machine buzzed in affirmation.

Barry snorted. "Skeets?"

"That's what it calls itself, anyway, and it won't let me rename it." Cisco frowned- obviously he'd attempted to rename the robot and failed. "I don't fully know what he does, but he has a GPS that I can control from the STAR Labs computer or my phone. He'll go to the site where you left DNA, if you do, and if it's not too big a mess, he'll clean it up."

Caitlin turned her head, curious. "How?"

Cisco grinned. "Watch." He pulled out a handkerchief from a drawer- "These are microfiber cloths I developed awhile ago. They're super absorbent- great for cleaning up soda, or in this case, possibly blood." He put the cloth in a small rung hanging from the bottom of the robot, picked up his soda, and pulled out the straw, shaking it over the desk. Little orange drops flew in every direction, one landing on Caitlin's face. She wiped it off, looking disgusted.

Cisco winced. "Sorry."

Skeets began to buzz, then promptly whirred over the desk and started cleaning up the spilled orange soda with the cloth Cisco had given it. "See? So unless you leave a really big mess, Skeets can help clean it up."

Barry frowned. "What if it's someplace I can't go back to- too dangerous? How could he go in?"

Skeets promptly disappeared.

"Oh yeah," Cisco said, shrugging like it was nothing but unable to smother a smile, "he can turn invisible."

"Okay, that's kind of cool."

Barry's phone beeped, and he checked the screen- "Sorry, I have to get back to work."

Cisco nodded. "See you-" Barry _whooshed_ out of the cortex- "later."

* * *

 _So, who likes my Booster Gold references?_  
 _Given that Gideon didn't really exist in DC comic canon, yet future Eobard Thawne knew about her, and he also somehow knew about the Time Sphere, which was another big Booster Gold thing...I decided that, hell, I'm going to use Skeets._

 _Cisco needs a friend, anyway._

 _Thanks for all the amazing reviews- they really make my day when you guys comment on the story, so please, let me know how you feel. And if you think you've got an interesting little sideplot to put into the story, let me know- if I do decide to incorporate it, I'll definitely credit you! I would love to use your unique ideas._

 _Thanks again!_

 _\- S. Pendragon_


	5. The Captain Knows

Barry stopped behind the police station, changed, and went in through the front entrance, immediately encountering a rush of people. His eyes sought out Joe, who was standing at the entrance to a presentation room, eyes darting as he looked for Barry. Their eyes met, and Barry made his way toward him, ducking an officer carrying a towering pile of papers in the process.

"Hey, Joe, what's going on?" Joe shrugged. "I don't know much- it's just some seminar about metahumans."

Barry raised a brow, entering the room. Joe followed him in, and the two took seats in the side of the room. A few people glanced at him quickly, then away. Barry, used to this kind of treatment- although it had alleviated over the years, especially recently since his father was proven innocent- ignored it. Joe didn't seem to notice.

Captain Singh walked up to the podium and cleared his throat into the microphone. The overlapping flow of chatter slowed and stopped.

"Hello," he said, his voice reverberating throughout the room. Everyone looked at him expectantly. Confident of his audience, he continued.

"Hello, everyone. Recently in the police department, we've had to undergo some...tests instigated by the federal government. This seminar is to inform you of multiple conditions concerning those tests.

First of all, we have now completed the tests. The officers and otherwise who were found to be metahumans will be given the opportunity to work with STAR Labs to develop and use their special abilities for the safety of this city."

Muttering broke out at this, and Joe and Barry exchanged a look. STAR Labs had agreed to this?

Given the fact that Cisco walked onto the stage moments later, the answer was evidently yes. Surprised, Barry looked at him. Cisco searched the crowd- when his eyes found Barry, their eyes met, and they exchanged a look. Silent communication ensued.

 _Cisco, what are you doing?_ Barry, narrowing his eyes.

 _Something to help the police._ Barry made to get up, but Cisco shook his head slightly _. Don't worry man, I got this._

Captain Singh cleared his throat into the microphone again and, once the noise had dwindled, handed it to Cisco.

"Um, hi," said Cisco, looking calm, but Barry noticed him nervously playing with a lollipop in his pocket. "I'm Cisco, as a lot of you probably know, because I worked with you to develop the Boot. I work at STAR Labs, and if anyone who has special abilities wants to work with us to develop them, then, um...just let us know." He nodded, swallowed uncomfortably, and practically ran out of the front of the room.

"Thank you, Mr. Ramon." Captain Singh's voice was flat. "As I was saying, anyone who wishes to help this city may volunteer."

An officer raised his hand, and Singh directed his attention towards him. "Yes?"

"What about the Flash?"

Barry had been expecting his alter ego to come up in the conversation at some point. Looking mildly irritated, Singh blinked. "What about him?"

"Well, he's not part of the department, is he?"

Was it Barry's imagination, or did Singh's eyes flash in his direction?

"No." The police captain sighed. "However, the man known as the Flash has assisted the police department on numerous occasions. Are there any other questions?"

Another officer raised his hand. "Will the metahuman officers get a raise?"

Singh laughed. "Not as long as I have anything to say about it."

A ripple of laughter ran through the crowd, and Joe laughed as well. Barry looked at him in surprise, and he shrugged. "What? That was funny."

The captain raised a hand, and silence rippled through the room. Singh spoke- but this time, he was deadly serious.

"There is one thing I need to make clear. No matter your 'special powers,' no matter how you use them, you are still human, and you are still working here to protect this city. I don't want anyone giving you a hard time about having or not having, using or not using abilities. I will not tolerate discrimination of any kind in this department. Even criminals have rights."

With that, a low murmur ran through the crowd, and Singh left the podium.

The seminar was released. As officers began to file out, Barry walked up to the front, where Cisco had gotten up and was conversing animatedly with Captain Singh. Barry pulled him aside. "Cisco, can I talk to you for a minute?" Cisco excused himself, apologizing to an amused Singh, and went with Barry.

As soon as they were out of earshot, began explaining. "Barry, I know I didn't tell you, but we know metahumans exist and we've known for a while and it's not like all of them are bad-"

Barry cut him off. "Cisco, I don't care about that."

Cisco blinked, stunned. "You don't?"

Barry shook his head. "No- I actually think it's a great idea. Between the normal criminals, the metas, my job, and now Wally, I'm swamped. It'll be nice to have backup. And I'm tired of every single meta being evil. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

Cisco nodded. "So what's up?"

Barry shrugged. "Have you noticed Singh looking at me? I don't know- I feel like he knows something. I think maybe we shouldn't display the suit in the cortex anymore."

Cisco nodded, enthused. " I know- I'd thought about that, and I figured we should use the Time Vault instead. I mean, if we're going to train officers, we should keep you around as a help, but maybe they shouldn't know everything, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Barry blinked as his phone buzzed in his pocket. "It's Iris- I've gotta go." He made to leave, but turned around again. "How's Caitlin?"

Cisco's default smirk slipped. "She's still not sleeping well. I've got to go."

Barry nodded. "Hey- Cisco?"

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"Tell her..." He hesitated. "Nevermind."

"Barry?" Cisco turned around fully, confused, but Barry had already departed. Bemused, he shrugged and left as well, returning to STAR Labs.

* * *

Barry caught up to Joe outside of the seminar- but, noticing that he was talking to Captain Singh, Barry crouched behind a wall. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but...

"You're the most experienced when dealing with metahumans- you took down Clyde Mardon, for one," the captain was saying. "And then that prisoner transport last year..."

Barry heard Joe cough in surprise. "What?"

"She told me- I didn't know what you were talking about then, but it makes sense now."

Joe's voice, when he spoke, was cold. "What was I talking about?"

Barry's phone buzzed in his pocket. _Damn it, Iris._

The police captain turned around. "Allen! Do you have the results of that robbery case for me yet?"

Barry nodded awkwardly, face flushed. "Um- yeah, no, I'll go get them." He made to flee the scene, but Singh called after him. "Oh- and, Mr. Allen?" His voice was flat.

Barry turned around. "Yes, sir?"

"Meet me in my office."

Barry swallowed. "Yes, sir." Heart hammering, he retreated to his lab, where he shuffled in his desk for the lab results- and finding them all too quickly, he made his way down to the captain's office.

He knocked on the door. "I have the results, sir."

Singh didn't look up. "Shut the door."

Barry complied and took a seat, trepidation fluttering in his stomach. It was ironic- Barry had faced down oversized telepathic gorillas without feeling this much fear. Singh took the results from him and flipped through them, then put them down on his desk and looked up.

"Let's try this again. Mr. Allen, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Barry shook his head. "No."

Singh sighed and put his head in his hands. "Damn it. Allen, please understand that of all things, I am not stupid."

Barry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I never thought you were, sir."

"So why are you so intent on pretending that I am? Mr. Allen, there have been so many unusual occurrences in the past few years, I'm willing to accept anything. And given recent events, I feel it's necessary for us to completely open with one another- especially given your unusual abilities."

Barry tensed, and his face fell into a mask- no emotion, no reaction. His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that, captain?"

"You know exactly what I mean." The police captain lowered his voice to almost a whisper. "Your friend Iris, Joe's daughter...her articles seem awfully favored towards him. You're a metahuman. You get sick at the same time that black speedster rips the Flash apart... It's too many coincidences, Mr. Allen."

Barry's face was emotionless. "I don't know what you mean, Captain," he lied, though his heart was hammering.

Singh shook his head. "I might not approve of vigilantism, but- that man- is doing good deeds for this city. All I want to do is give him a warning."

"A warning?" Barry blinked, confused.

"Yes, Allen, a warning. A census like this? The last time it happened was World War II. The Japanese were put in internment camps. It's not a good sign, and things are going to get bad for people who are different very soon."

Barry swallowed, silent. Singh nodded and gestured to the door. "You may go."


	6. Unsettled Natures

My apologies for not updating in a while! I've had a lot of stuff to do- and I've been really sick. Like, keep-a-bucket-close-just-in-case sick. I couldn't even look at a screen without getting a migraine. But that's mostly over now, so I'm back in business!  
I'll be incorporating current Flash events as they go- we'll see Trajectory soon.  
Thanks for sticking with me!  
\- S. Pendragon

* * *

The first thing Barry did was run to STAR Labs.

When Barry burst into the cortex, Cisco turned around expectantly, though he glanced back at a dozing Caitlin slumped over her keyboard. Barry opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when he noticed her, and looked at Cisco bewilderedly.

Cisco shrugged guiltily. "She hasn't slept or gone home for the past three days, so I might've slipped a sedative in her drink..." He looked at Barry. "I would've taken her home, but I don't want her waking up in the time it takes to drive there." He blinked at Barry, who sighed and picked Caitlin up, flashing out of the room and returning quickly.

Cisco winked. "Thanks, man."

Barry shrugged. "She needs sleep anyway. But Cisco, Singh knows."

He frowned. "Knows what?"

"What do you think? He knows I'm the Flash. At least, I'm pretty sure he does." Barry frowned, replaying the events in his mind. "He actually didn't say it outright. And he hasn't told anyone...Honestly, I don't think he cares. But it's not him I'm worried about."

He strode over to Cisco and handed him a paper- it was one of the Metahuman Census notices. Cisco looked at the paper, then back at him, confused. "What do I want with this?"

"You know how in WWII some places didn't put the Japanese in internment camps, just documented them? Sound familiar to you?" Cisco nodded. "So- what, are internment camps the next step?"

"I hope not."

* * *

The inhabitants of Keystone all called it "the Forrest House," even though it had been two years since anyone had lived there. The night of the particle accelerator explosion, the electricity in the house had burnt out and started a fire that supposedly killed all three Forrests- by the time the fire department got there, the house was a blazing inferno and all three Forrests were burnt beyond recognition.

The house itself was an old stone-walled house- so though the roof was gone, the walls remained. The house was now a damp, decrepit, and altogether creepy dwelling for rats and roaches.

As is the norm in highschools, cliques of people had formed- and, finding out someone among them was a metahuman with the power to camouflage themselves against any background, obviously next came the dare stage. Cynthia Reynolds was dared to go into the Forrest house.

"C'mon, Cindy, you only gotta run in there and do a little screaming!" Adam, drunk, pushed her roughly in the direction of the ramshackle dwelling. "Scare the people!" He let out a raucous laugh and took another swig of his beer. Having not drunk as much as the others and therefore being half-sober, Cindy shook her head. "I'm not going in there."

Samantha, one of her peers, laughed. "Cindy, you can freakin' make yourself invisible. What's anything gonna do to you?"

Still shaking her head fervently, Cindy winced. "I can't make myself invisible, you know, just camouflage. And-" she hesitated, swallowing- "I just have this really bad feeling about this."

Pamela, the designated driver of the group, was looking back and forth between the two sides of the argument. "I'm with Cindy, guys," she said in an amused tone. "It's not a good idea."

Adam turned on her. "If you're so smart, you go in with her!"

Pamela shrugged. "Fine." Turning on her heel, she grabbed Cynthia by the wrist and pulled her stumbling up the dilapidated steps.

Picking her way carefully across the rotten cement floor inside, Pamela gestured for Cynthia to follow her. Cynthia turned herself into the colors of the shadowed walls and followed Pamela, whispering "I'm still here." Pamela, arguably the most adaptable of the group, simply nodded and kept moving. Where the others had started to see Cynthia as less of a person and more something to gawk at, Pamela simply hadn't cared.

A gust of wind whistled its way through the house, and Cindy shivered. "Pam, can we just do this and go?"

Pamela turned to look at her, amused. "I mean, I was gonna scare them, but if you just want to go..."

"Scare them?" Cynthia perked up. "How?"

Pamela shrugged. "You start screaming, put one of your magic illusions on me that makes me look like a tree, and just wait here. I'll scare them."

Cynthia nodded, closed her eyes, and concentrated. Pamela, raising an eyebrow, glanced down at herself, only to see mossy, shadowed bark. She grinned. "Cool. Now you just scream here like you're terrified and I'll go scare them."

Cynthia nodded, and Pamela left. Shortly after she left the rotting old hallway, a bloodcurdling scream wracked the night air. An impish grin spread across Pamela's face.

She came outside to see their three drunken friends yelling and laughing at Cynthia's screaming. "Yeaah!" Even their shouts were slurred.

Pamela crept up behind Adam and shoved him. He fell easily, stumbling to the group, but looked around wildly. "Who's there?" His words were a drawl.

Pamela scowled and lifted her arms. With eerie wooden creaks, the trees of the area slowly converged on the three drunken friends, who promptly started screaming.

"Run," Pamela whispered, her voice disguised by the rustle of leaves.

She stepped forward, her body disguised by Cynthia's illusion. The bark that made up her face contorted into a sneer.

"Who the hell are you?!" Samantha had suddenly sobered and was gaping at her, terrified.

Pamela's wooden mask twisted into a horrible grin.

"Poison Ivy."

Samantha choked on her own blood as a spear of living wood pierced her heart.


	7. Reflections

_Thief_.

The word rang in his ears as he strode out of the bar. He heard the word ricocheting off of every corner, coming out of the officers' mouths- thief. Criminal.

Fraud.

He'd told Joe he didn't want people thinking the Flash was a petty thief, but it was more than that. He didn't want them seeing him as anything but a hero. And it wasn't just for his sake- the things that Singh had said to him had been dwelling on him ever since he'd left that office. World War II had killed millions of people, and that was just because of religion. There weren't superpowers, or nuclear weapons, or people with superspeed.

Except now there were.

So what kind of damage would the human race have the ability to do now?

* * *

 _Not again._

Barry's in a box. Put there by someone faster, stronger, _better_ than him. Again.

How many times has this happened now?

His mind is racing, and he's thinking faster than the speed of light- at the forefront of his mind is his worry, his complete frustration and terror that something's going to happen to his friends upstairs because he can't get out, can't get to them in time, can't save them. Like Iris, at the racetrack- except this time it won't just be a piece of glass, this time it'll be a speedster's vibrating hand or a bullet to the brain.

But behind all the frustration, there's a quiet voice whispering in his ear. _You can't save them,_ it says in a hateful hiss. _Every single time, you've been put in a cage- Thawne forced you to open the singularity. Eddie died just to stop him, and you didn't even save your mother. Zoom shoved his hand through your spine and he put you in a cage, and you had to use an evil Caitlin's help just to do it. You don't even know this one and she's still faster than you. You will never win._

It's true and he knows it. But he chases the voice back to the recesses of his mind, shoving it back inside its dark hole, and knows that no matter what happens, he won't give up. _I have to try_ , he'd said to Caitlin on that first day, unraveling that tornado by running at speeds never though possible. Whatever happens, he'll do what he can.

Barry stops his efforts to phase through the glass after several failed attempts, finally conceding that Cisco's technology is too good, and prays to no one that someone's going to open the cell eventually- hoping that they're not all dead.

* * *

That was what addiction looked like.

Barry scrolled at superspeed down the webpage, looking at images he'd seen before. The horrible, gory things that drugs did to a body. The thing was, though the effects of each drug were so different, there was one thing the addicts all had- that look in their eye, that longing for euphoria or adrenaline or simply sleep.

Or in Eliza's case, speed.

It's terrifying, because Barry knows what it's like to want speed. He's been tempted before to do things he knows he shouldn't- to kill Eddie, force Iris to love Barry instead of him. To kill the Reverse-Flash, Eobard Thawne, despite the fact that Cisco was shaking, immaterial, and screaming on the floor above him. To want to take that V9- just like Jay.

Jay was Zoom. That man he'd looked at as a friend, a mentor- that man who'd saved Barry's city while Barry was off ruining his even worse than Zoom already had.

When he was eight, Barry had done a project on Pablo Picasso. He'd drawn his favorite comic book character- Spiderman- in Picasso style. Which wasn't very hard for him, considering he didn't try to attain artistic ability until he studied forensics in college. But Barry remembered looking through a book, and on the top of one page was a quote in bright red letters.

"It takes a very long time to become young."

Now he thinks he finally understands what it means. Everything is so tiring- betrayal from those he thought friends, a new- brother?- and Iris is so much more mature now, Cisco's a metahuman and- on another Earth, he and Iris are married?

It's so much to juggle. Especially Iris.

He remembers visiting her on the rooftop of Jitters, cleaning up the coffee shop for her, waiting for her to publish her blog just so he can say thank you. She was so innocent back then, so happy, excited and in love with her new superhero.

Then Iris was pulled deeper into his turbulent alter ego, Wells turned out to be the man Barry hated most in the world, and...Eddie died.

Singh was right.

Things were going to get even worse.

* * *

Barry was used to weird things- killer robot bees, tsunamis, time travel, you name it. But as he looks over the messy crime scene, he reflects that he'd never seen someone get murdered by a tree before.

He lifted up the tarp and, seeing the impaled body beneath it, raised an eyebrow. "She impaled herself on a tree?"

Joe shrugged. "Looks like it."

Barry frowned. Lowering himself to the ground, he put himself at eye level with Samantha, then lifted up the tarp and climbed under it, inspecting her body. Joe groaned and turned away. "I don't know how you do that."

Barry ignored him and emerged from under the tarp, stepping carefully around the pool of dried blood, and looked at the offending tree. He frowned. "Joe, come look at this."

Joe stepped over the girl's hidden body and went to where he was standing, looking into the trees like he was. "What is it?"

Barry pointed at the trees. "Well-" he gestured behind him- "Samantha was short, right? She's only 5'2". So, with the wind blowing that hard and her that drunk, by the laws of nature the tree should've leant over slightly, the wind blowing into her back, and she stumbles back, falls over into a branch, and kills herself accidentally. So the branch should've entered her heart at an angle. But it goes straight through, like a knife. And here's the weird part- for a branch to be that low, it's probably not important, and pretty dry and dead. Look at it, though." Barry, much to Joe's dismay, threw off the tarp covering the girl's body, and kneeled beside it. He reached out a gloved hand and touched the bloody branch. "There's leaves on it. Little ones, like you'd find at the top of a tree. And this is living wood." He snapped off a piece of it, holding it up to Joe. "Look- it's still green. You'd find this branch at the top of the tree, but that tree is at least 13 feet tall. And it's not easily climbed- look how smooth the bark is. That'd be hard for a squirrel, much less a drunk person."

"So what happened? Did something throw her up there?" Joe turned to look at him, perplexed.

Barry shook his head. "Judging by the bloodstains, she was stabbed and fell to the ground here. Falling from the tree, even pushed by the wind, wouldn't get her that far."

"So how did she die?"

"I don't know. But I'm sure it wasn't an accident."


	8. Meta Overload

I've received some...interesting opinions lately, and I'd like to make something clear.

I'm writing this fic based on canon events as they go, but with some of my own twists into an AU. I also might have some consistency errors, change some canon to better fit the story, and abandon some subplots as we go, considering that I have no idea what's going to happen in canon but I will try to keep up with it. I will try my best to stay perfectly in sync with canon events, completely up-to-detail. I won't always achieve it, but I am trying.

This fic is a slow burner. It'll take a couple of months before it's complete. But I promise you it will be worth the wait, because if the season 2 finale is what I think it's going to be, it'll fit this story like a glove. And then we'll have some fun.

Lastly, I apologize for the hiatus. I've been dealing with a lot.

\- S. Pendragon

* * *

"You are a human centrifuge," Caitlin remarked dryly as Barry shook her newest test vial of speedster tranquilizer for him. Barry laughed and handed the newly-shook solution back to her. "Remind me again why we need this? Jay is too fast for me to shoot him up with this anyway- the last time I tried, he shoved it in my chest." If he noticed Caitlin's slight flinch at the reminder, he didn't say anything. Caitlin quickly turned away and emptied the contents of the vial into a syringe. "I know, but this just feels necessary. Especially after Eliza- I mean, Trajectory."

Barry shook his head. "How many more speedsters can there be? We're not exactly a dime a dozen."

"Well, just in case one of the ones we've already met comes back, or V-9 falls into the wrong hands." Caitlin sneezed suddenly and dropped the syringe- which Barry caught, handing it back to her with an arched brow. "Allergies?"

Caitlin shrugged. "Yeah. They've been stronger recently." Seemingly unruffled, Caitlin took off down the hall to the STAR Labs storage unit. Barry followed her through the doors of the storage unit and watched her place the tranquilizer in a keypad-locked cold case, which, when she was finished with it, was locked inside a larger case. When Caitlin saw his questioning look, she shrugged. "Cisco didn't want another cold gun."

Cisco's voice came over the loudspeakers. "Caitlin, we need you at the cortex."

"On my way," Caitlin called, and set off down the hall. Barry kept pace with her, remarking dryly, "You know, he probably can't hear you when you do that."

Caitlin shrugged. "Force of habit."

Barry nodded. "I'm going to head home. I'll see you later." At Caitlin's nod, he took off, leaving the building behind him.

It wasn't often Barry Allen got to sleep in, so when he did, he didn't appreciate being woken up unless it was for something important. Of course, being the Flash means there's something important going on almost all the time, so he's learned to sleep lightly and wake up at the smallest noise. With a little help from Cisco, they'd made it so that if Cisco, Caitlin, Joe or Iris sent out the S.O.S., his phone would begin both vibrating and emitting a high-pitched screech- which admittedly had caused some awkward conversations in the police department. In addition, Cisco had taken to sending Skeets to get Barry in non-emergencies. The trouble was, the little robot seemed to have developed a sense of humor, and enjoyed sneaking up on him invisibly, or hiding objects in his lab. Barry had complained, but Cisco had just- _giggled_ \- and run away. So Barry had to put up with Skeets, who thankfully seemed to have the presence of mind to turn invisible, silent and immobile when anyone other than Barry, Cisco or Caitlin was in the room.

It was often now that Barry found Wally over at the Wests' house- which he knew was good, of course, but it was still a new feeling. Especially since Wally had begun treating him with disrespect- which irritated Joe and Iris to no end, but Barry had stopped them from commenting. "He doesn't know, and he shouldn't have to. It's alright." So Joe and Iris had reluctantly agreed to stop interfering.

Barry was startled awake by Skeets buzzing near his ear- he bolted upright, lashing out, and closed his fingers over the whirring bot, before sighing and releasing it from his grip. "Skeets," he hissed, glancing at his alarm clock. "It's the middle of the night."

" _Francisco wishes to converse with you,"_ the robot buzzed.

"Francisco? Oh, Cisco." He shook his head at the use of Cisco's real name. "Call him Cisco, okay? I'll meet you at STAR Labs."

Barry sped downstairs- only to see, in a fraction of a second, Wally awake and working at the dinner table. He turned around and went back upstairs, slow enough that's is lightning wouldn't show but fast enough that he was too quick for the human eye to follow. Downstairs, Wally frowned at the draft and got up to check the curtains- his eyes widening as he saw a streak of gold lightning flicker by. Little did he know that the source of that lightning was a man who'd been sleeping upstairs just a minute before.

Barry strolled into the cortex, crankily stamping his feet to release the heat, "Cisco, why am I here?" Cisco jolted awake, blinking back at him. "Oh, Barry." He shook his head and reached out, clumsily knocking the device he'd been working on off of his table- and Barry, who had been expecting it, caught it. Cisco pretended not to notice- or maybe he just didn't see it- and rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a piece of paper. Barry recognized it as a news article, printed out. "Look at this." Barry took the article from him and began to read.

 _Woman Murdered In "Cold Blood"_

 _Last night, a woman was found dead behind a Big Belly Burger on Point Avenue. Witnesses report having heard screaming, and upon investigation, found the woman dead. The body was found completely frozen- a case mirrored only by victims of the thief Leonard Snart, who reportedly uses a weapon that shoots ice- liquid nitrogen, as theorized by a KPD forensic scientist. For more information on Leonard Snart, see page 47._

"Cisco, why have I never seen this before?" Barry's voice was tight.

"It happened while you were on sick leave- when Zoom broke your back." Cisco yawned, standing up. "It also wasn't in Central City, or- well- on the front page."

"I was on the front page," he said flatly.

"Yeahin." Cisco seemed unruffled. "And what with all of us trying to get you better, we didn't really take the time to scan for metas- or Snart. But I found it today."

Barry squinted his eyes, looking closer at the black-and-white photo. "So Snart killed someone?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought- but I hacked into the police records and looked at the forensics report, and- well, it's your job, you look at this." Barry leaned down to look at the computer screen in front of Cisco, on which he'd pulled up a file detailing the body- "There were hand marks around her neck?"

Cisco nodded, looking grim. "We only know of one ice meta."

"Killer Frost. Caitlin. The other one. But that's impossible- the breaches are all closed."

"Exactly, which is why I did a little digging. People in Blizzard apartments-" Cisco grinned- "have been reporting wacky thermostats. Even in hot weather, their apartments are too cold. But that stopped a week ago- so either this meta's gotten their powers under control, or-"

"Or they're in the wind." Barry nodded. "Alright, I'll check it out tomorrow."

He does check it out, and it turns out to be a waste- the icy chill that pervaded the building seemed to have suddenly vanished, along with a resident who had moved out at the same time. A woman. Danielle Croes.

He speed-searches her empty apartment when no one is looking, but finds nothing- it's clean, too clean- no fingerprints at all- and he's distracted by the overly excited landlord trying to sell him the apartment.

So he heads home, knowing Cisco will alert him if something comes up, to eat dinner with Iris, Joe, and Wally. And Wally spurs in him an interesting idea.

All thoughts of the girl and branch case, the unknown icy metahuman, Trajectory, or even the metahuman census left his mind as he contemplated his options. Cisco had already worked out when in the past Barry could visit and be least likely to be found out. It was when Hartley revealed that Eobard Thawne- then believed to be Wells- had known the particle accelerator might explode.

Oh, time travel. What a finicky thing.

Barry knew he needed to go back in time, learn how to go faster from the man who'd already figured it out. It was almost laughable that Wally had given him the idea, really- the man who had no idea what was going on in this city, the battles that the West family fought on a daily basis.

They were going to have to clue Wally in on everything at some point, Barry reflected grimly, but he supposed he could wait until after Zoom- Jay- was defeated. He didn't need anyone else put in danger.

As he enters the particle accelerator, pulling his red cowl over his face, he can't help but remember a conversation with Eobard Thawne from so long ago.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Wells, looking furious and- was it his imagination?- scared.

"Yeah, I do. I just saved a lot of lives." Barry, belligerent and so confident that what he'd done was the right thing.

"I warned you not to mess with the timeline."

"Dr. Wells, if you would just let me tell you what was going to happen, you'd understand why I did this."

At this, Wells had cut him off and looked him in the face- "Whatever tragedy you think you've just averted, time will find a way to replace it- and trust me, Barry, the next one will be _so much worse_."


	9. Off-World Super-Adventure

Whoo! Big chapter incoming.

That finale was fantastic, wasn't it? And it also happened exactly the way I needed it to...oh, man. This is going to be fun.

A little warning- from about here on out, things are going to follow canon events, but they're also going to wobble a little. Cisco's going to know about Supergirl, etc.

Side note: If you haven't watched the one episode of Supergirl with Barry in it, you should, because I skip over the plot and the fights here. Also, it's a really cool episode.

Stay tuned, because it's all uphill from here. For me, at least. I can't say the same for the characters. (cue evil laughter)

\- S. Pendragon

* * *

As soon as Barry departs, Cisco turns on his frequency gun- judging from the time delay between worlds they'd experienced going to Earth-2, he'll be back in ten seconds.

He arrives exactly on time.

"Time wraith," he chokes out, writhing on the ground. Cisco unfreezes- he hadn't realized it, but he had been stuck in place- and he remarks subconsciously (or so he thought) that that was a good name, even as he repels the time wraith with a short burst of sonic energy.

It doesn't work. _Crap_.

And then Hartley comes to the rescue- he aims his gloves well, and sends the Time Wraith who-knows-where. Cisco wonders briefly where the hell it was even made of, when Hartley steps in front of him and extends a hand to the gasping speedster.

A few jokes are made- it's usual with Hartley around- and then he leaves, and their attention returns to Barry. Mostly. Cisco's thinking about what Hartley just said...no. Of course not. They'll figure it out later.

"So, did you get it?"

Barry nods and holds up a flash drive that looks a bit too futuristic for Cisco's comfort. Cisco snatches it from him, looking at it. "Cool," he murmurs under his breath, eliciting a snort from Caitlin.

Barry looks from Caitlin to the door Hartley had just left through. "So. He's... We're not enemies anymore?"

Caitlin shakes her head, looking confused. Cisco turns around, looking equally perplexed. "No, dude... Why would we be enemies? Hartley's a dick, but-" He stopped, clapping a hand to his mouth. "Holy crap. You're from a different timeline! Did Hartley do something bad in the other timeline? You told me when you came back the first time- I mean, you now just told me back then-"

"Cisco," Barry interrupts, looking impatient. "Let's go check out what's on the drive."

"Right."

It turns out that he's a lot faster than he expected to be. _Oops_.

* * *

 _National City, Earth (?)_

So aliens actually existed.

Not only did they exist, they were here on Earth- not _his_ earth, but _an_ earth. Barry briefly wondered what the number of this Earth was. Earth three? Earth seven? Earth fifty-two? If this universe had aliens, did that mean his had aliens too? Why hadn't they come to Earth there, but they had here? Had they already come to Earth in his universe and he just didn't know about it?

Most importantly, why did the one doing the heroing here look like a blonde cheerleader?

Aliens. It was like he was suddenly living inside one of his old comic books. Which, he had to admit, was pretty cool.

Barry had been running faster than he'd ever been before- pushing himself to go faster, faster, _faster_ \- until suddenly everything was a blur, and out of the corner of his eye he sees a woman fall from a building.

He's up the side of the building and running back down in a fraction of a second, whipping through the city...into a field?

Oops. He overshot it- the way he used to when he was just starting out as the Flash, saving people from burning buildings and fighting off metahumans. Stopping a tornado from hitting the city. Saving Simon Stagg.

It had all been so simple back then.

But he's snapped out of it by the sudden realization the girl he'd saved was on fire- he reaches forward to pat it out, remembers the Felicity Incident, and pulls his hands back behind his head- _nope_.

Oddly enough, she doesn't seem to be worried that she's on fire.

She's dazed, though. Wondering how she got here. She shakes her head and-

Well, that was quite possibly the most unexpected thing he'd ever seen.

And then her clothes fall into his arms and he quickly changes his mind.

He drops her clothes and races after her, through the fields- except now he's pacing himself, watching the sky and the land below him as he keeps pace with her. He sees it when she notices him, looking down, and stops abruptly as she lands in front of him.

* * *

Supergirl?

What kind of name was that?

Then again, the two names he'd ever been called by in the media both had to do with public nudity, so maybe he wasn't in any position to judge.

And he was just a guy who could run really fast. (And run up the side of buildings, run on water, throw lightning, sure, but that came with the speed.) She was an _alien_. From _outer space_.

Oh, he had a story to tell Cisco- well. Assuming he ever got back home.

There wasn't a Cisco here, or a Harrison Wells, or any of his teammates. No one he knew existed here. He knew nothing about this Earth.

How was he going to get home?

A sudden pang of worry permeates his chest- but no, he can't focus on that right now. He needs to help Kara with her metahuman- she hasn't fought them like he has. She's fought aliens, mostly of her own race, with the same strengths and weaknesses she possesses. She hasn't been exposed like him, a new problem every week, a new set of strengths and weaknesses, a new solution.

For him, it's time to meet new people.

He's not sure why he's okay with letting Winn and James know who he really is- maybe it's just a feeling, like he can trust them. Maybe it's the fact that they've been helping another superhero all this time. Maybe it's just that he's not even from their Earth, what are they going to do with his identity anyway?

Winn is a surprisingly good hacker- Barry not-so-subtly asks him a few questions about his technique, until he gets fed up and rummages around in his stuff, eventually producing a flash drive and handing it to Barry. "It's a copy of my hacking techniques," he explains guiltily, "in case the police ever needed it for evidence against my dad."

Barry's had experience with a father in prison- even if where his was innocent, Winn's was not- and he merely nods in thanks, tucking the flash drive into a small pocket of cloth inside his hood that he forced Cisco to add. Winn's nothing compared to Felicity, but Barry saw some interesting skills in his technique, and if nothing else it'll be interesting for Cisco. Barry also takes a selfie with Kara- both of them in their suits- and adds that to the drive.

James is interesting- for some reason, Barry can't help but think of Iris when he looks at him. And then he realizes it's because of the way Kara looks at him- the same Felicity looked at Oliver. The same way Barry looks at Iris.

Barry listens to some of Livewire's old podcasts ("Know your enemy," Oliver's voice echoes in his head)- she really hates Supergirl, doesn't she? And then she hits across a certain point. Kara knows he's listening to the podcasts, and when he glances at Kara questioningly, she glares at him. Then Livewire begins describing things in detail and he rips the earbuds out, looking scandalized. Kara stifles a snort.

Barry's not going to be able to forget about _that_ anytime soon.

The fight with Livewire and Banshee (Barry's later told that was her villain name, as she'd been screaming too painfully for him to make it out the first time) is over quickly- and it ends in a way Barry hadn't expected. The citizens of National City bond together to save Kara, just because she'd saved a helicopter... Barry can't help but smile. It reminds him of Caitlin, Cisco, Linda- regular people, stepping up to the plate to help a person they don't even know. (Well, Linda knew him, very well, but that was a different matter.)

In a matter of hours, with the help of super-speed, Kara's strength, what he knows of the pipeline and a few architects, he's built a metahuman wing in the National City jail- and now that there are no more immediate threats, it's time for him to head back home.

Kara apparently also has super speed, though she tends to rely on punching things. Barry gives her a few of Oliver's lessons- how to check your perimeter, know your enemy. If she keeps running in blind, she's going to get hurt, and Barry can see that National City needs its hero.

Kara's speed isn't like Barry's- there's no lightning, no speed force. She's just fast. But it's enough to help him rip open a wormhole and head home.

And oh, he's back in front of STAR Labs again, and he makes a sharp turn and zips into the cortex like it's nothing. He sees papers begin to lift with his arrival- he slows down slightly, snatches them out of the air, and piles them neatly in front of Caitlin before Cisco can finish blinking.

Wow, that felt powerful.

Then everything returns to normal speed and he turns to face Cisco. "How long was I gone?"

Cisco looks confused- "What?" Barry checks the time on Cisco's computer. He hasn't even been gone a minute.

Nice. He's happy, exhilarated for a minute-

And then he remembers Zoom.


	10. Lost Time pt 1

_Remember that bit of canon divergence I mentioned before? We're going to see that here- you know, assuming it takes a while for Cisco to make cardboard cutouts of people he's never met (Hunter's parents), etc. Also, metahuman racism. Fun._

 _Also, I totally didn't get bored in the middle of writing and that's totally not the reason for the chapter's abrupt end._

 _I do not own The Flash or anything related. With the exception of one Reverse-Flash Funko Pop. ಠ_ಠ_

 _\- S. Pendragon_

* * *

Cisco's not at STAR Labs- which is surprising, considering he seems to spend all his waking hours there. Barry occasionally has found himself wondering if he even has an apartment, and doesn't sleep in the particle accelerator.

Barry pulls out his phone and texts him. Where are you?

Cisco replies swiftly- home.

As if he'd anticipated what Barry was going to ask next, he adds, The apartment building, corner of 43rd and Sunset. I'll meet you at the door.

Barry's there in a few seconds, flashing behind the building, changing, and walking around to the front. He leans against the wall and waits for Cisco at the door, who seems to realize he's already there and just buzzes him in, his voice coming over the intercom: "Third floor, number 17."

Barry takes the stairs.

Cisco's apartment is full of toys. For a split second, Barry's nerd-brain is jealous, and then he realizes some of them are of him. There's a Flash poster on the wall- it has such a detailed photo of him on it that Barry suspects Cisco designed it himself. When had Cisco taken the photo?

Cisco invites him in, and Barry can't help but grin. The nerd is everywhere. There's Star Wars posters on the walls, a shelf holding a complete series of hardcover Harry Potter books, and the bookcase behind his couch is stuffed full with comic books. On top of it, of course, are action figures- a Darth Vader, Barry notices, is promptly threatening the Flash with his lightsaber.

Barry smirks. "I bet I could beat him."

Cisco snorts and shakes his head. "No way, man, he'd use the Force to keep you away-" He stops abruptly. "This is weird, isn't it?"

"A little." Barry shrugs. "But Iris has one." He nods at the figurine of himself. "So does Oliver's son, actually, and I think every kid in Central City."

Cisco laughs, looking slightly relieved, and sits down on his couch. "So what'd you want to talk to me about? Not that it's not cool to see you here, but you don't always make house calls."

Barry sighs. "You know how much faster I got when I used the speed equation? I was thinking- how was I able to defeat the Reverse-Flash last year? I mean, if I can break mach 5 just by wearing this thing..." He hesitates. "I think he wanted to be captured."

Cisco nods, "Yeah," like it's no surprise.

Barry looks at him. "What? You knew?"

"Yeah. I mean, it was kind of obvious- he beat you so many times, and- when Joe and I went back to your house, the blood- future you that never really happened's blood- it wasn't just on the wall, it was indented into the wallpaper. And for a liquid to have that kind of force, it would have to be thrown with a lot of momentum behind it, and that takes a lot of speed- I estimated mach 2 or 3, a lot faster than you'd ever gone at the time. And I think that if it hadn't been for Eddie, you might not have survived that fight in the pipeline."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is." Cisco shrugs. "You could easily beat him now, though."

"And another evil speedster." Barry's voice was cold.

Looking uneasy, Cisco shrugged again. "Yeah."

* * *

The police station was quiet- a few armed robberies were called in, but the police handled them swiftly. No metahuman activity was called in, so Barry never needed to don the costume.

Which, of course, led to a day of paperwork.

Barry had been letting his paperwork pile up for a while, both procrastinating and simply being overloaded trying to balance work as the Flash and Barry Allen, CSI. There were a lot of reports he had due that day- specifically, one on the girl and branch case- and had no idea where to start. Irritated, he sped out of the station to gather more evidence from the crime scene.

It had been cleaned up- there was no more blood or fallen branches, just the dilapidated house and grove of trees. A group of girls across the street shrieked as he sped by them, fully clad in his suit, then proceeded to pull out their phones and snap a picture of him investigating the crime scene. He ignored them- this happened a lot, and it'd find its way to Cisco's metahuman app anyhow, alerting the team to his whereabouts.

He scanned the bark of the tree she'd been impaled by, noticing an off-color branch. Furrowing his eyebrows, he read up and rapped it with his knuckles- only to be surprised by the branch suddenly falling cleanly from the tree.

He sped back to avoid it, earning a chorus of giggles from the girls across the street who were now taking pictures with him in the background.

Ignoring them again, he picked up the branch- and dropped it quickly.

Nope, that was definitely not natural.

The branch had fallen off the tree like a clean cut- and even more troubling, the wood inside wasn't green, nor the light tan of dead and dried wood. It wasn't even the dark brown of rotting wood. It was pure white, as if someone had bleached it multiple times over. There were no rings, either- the wood was eerily smooth.

Now what the hell could have caused that?

Noting the increasing volume of the girls' chatter- "My friend is coming!" burst out one excitedly- Barry sped over towards them, took one of their phones, and put them all in a group photo with him in the front, smiling. Then he caught the phone and put it back in the hand of the girl he'd taken it from.

Well, he'd never said he didn't like being recognized.

Heading back to the police station, he was greeted by what was quickly becoming the norm- people glancing at him and conversations stopping when he passed by. Or, on the flip side, people glaring at their companions furiously with no seemingly obvious explanation.

Barry could guess what it was, though.

Ever since he'd been outed as a metahuman, he'd been on the receiving end of more than a few sideways glances. He wasn't the only metahuman in the police (Officer Dallie had suddenly discovered he had the ability to recreate any sound he heard) but he was the only metahuman who didn't know what he could do.

He was beginning to think that might've been the most idiotic lie he'd ever told- and that included telling Joe he'd accidentally wet himself at the zoo so that he could run off to sneak a peek at the elephants. That lie was swiftly and embarrassingly disproved.


End file.
